Harvester



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet. 1.A

J. R. SEVERANCE. l

HARVESTER.

No. 296,231. Patented Apr. '1, 1884.

WITNEssEs Y- INVENIUR Jams' .R Severance l By hals attorneys' (No Model.)

, 's sheets-sheet 2. J. R. SEVEARANCE.

HARVESTER.

No. 296.231. .Patented Aprpl, 1884.

INVENTOH lme's RSezfefnce By /Lia Umweg/.5'

N. PETERS FmevLimWnphu. Wamngmn u. (L

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(Nu Model.)

J. R. SEVERANCE.

HARVESTER.

Patented Apr. l, 1884.

WTNESSES u u. y@ a i N V E NTOR .f/nes ji .Sei/@rance Armer erica JAMES R. SEVERANGE, OF FREMONT, OHIO.

HARVESTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 296,231, dated April l, 1884.

Application filed September 1, 1883. (No model.)

`To @ZZ whom, it may concern.-

Beit known that I, Janus R. SnvnRANoE, of Fremont, in the. county of Sandusky and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Harvesters, of which the following is a specication.

My invention relates to improvements applicable to hart/'esters of the class commonly designated one-wheel stiff-tongue machines, especially that type of this class of machines in which the nger-heams and platforms have adjustable connection with the main frames by means of posts mounted on the heels of the finger-beams and sliding in bearings ofthe main frames.

My objects are to provide improved means by which to so connect the nger-beam with the main frame of the machine that the fingerbeam, as raised and lowered, will be sustained throughout its adjustments practically square with the main frame, or at substantially an unchanging angle with the main frame and line of draft, and, while securing this parallelism of position of the finger-beam throughout its adjustments, to also insure proper action of the cutting apparatus, the reciprocation of the cutters from centers to centers of the guards, by maintaining unaltered, or practically so, the distance between the center of the cutteractuating crank-shaft and a given lined point of the cutting apparatus-say the center of the innermost guard-finger.

In the accompanying drawings, which show all those features of a fullyorganized machine of old and well-known construction which are needed in describing a suitable application of my improvements, Figure l is a plan view with someparts in section and portions broken away. Fig. 2 is a side elevation with parts in section. Fig. 3 is a front elevation with y parts in section.

The single driving and main supporting wheel A, its axle a, the main frame B, the stiff tongue C, having rigid connection with the inner front corner of the main frame, the outer brace, I), connecting the tongue with the outer front corner of the frame, and the rod E, pivotally connected at its opposite ends to the tongue and the ngenbeam F, and constituting the usually-employed jointed bracingconnection between the tongue and finger-beam, are all as heretofore commonly used in ma chines of this class, and therefore description of the details of construction and arrangement of these parts is unnecessary.

The main frame is provided with two inwardly-projecting perforated arms or bearinglugS, b Z1, the one above the other for the 1inger-beam heel-post or slide-rod G, and with a sleeve-bearing, y, for a cutter-actuating crankshaft, H, as heretofore. The heel-post of the finger-beam slides up and down in the framebearings Z) b in a well-known way, as the lever I, its Segmentsheave, and the chain t' are operated to raise and lower the dinger-beam.

The post G, instead of being inclined, as usual, is truly vertical, and instead of being directly and rigidly attached to the heel of the finger-beam, as heretofore, it has connection therewith in such manner as to allowr the iinger-beam to move inward and outward, or toward and away from the post and frame, as the finger-beam is adj usted vertically. To permit of this inward and outward movement of the fingenbeam, it has suitable sliding connection with its heel-post, as will in turn be described. The heel-post Gis keyed or otherwise firmly attached at its lower end to the inner end of a round rod, J, and this rod,near its Outer end,is likewise attached to the lower end of an inolined rod, K, the upper end of which is se curely fastened to the upper end of the vertical heel-post. In this way there is provided a strong and light angular frame or supporting bracket for adjustably connecting the ngerbeam to the main frame. The horizontallysliding connection between the heel-post and nger-bea-m is constituted by two eye-bearings or perforated lugs, L L', fastened to the fingerbeam, and in which the post-attached round rod J is tted, so that the bearing-lugs may both turn and slide on this rod, to enable the linger-beam to be rocked as well as to be slid inward and outward. As shown, the inner bearing-lug, L, is formed with an arm, M,which is bolted to the finger-beam, and serves, in con nection with a link-rod, m, and a lever, N, and its detent devices, to rock the linger-beam and secure it in position, while the outer bearinglug, L', is provided with a screw-bolt shank to pass through the nger-beam and with a securing-nut, Z, beneath the beam.

Besides the above-described vertically and horizontally sliding connection between the frame and finger-beam by way of the angular supporting-bracket J K, the finger-beam has jointed connection with the main frame by means of al rod, O, which serves to control horizontal movement of the linger-beam along the rod J. The' controlling-rod O, as shown, is jointed at one end to the main frame by means of ahook, P, engaging an eye, p, formed upon the downwardly-proj ecting portion of the main frame, which is provided with the sleeve-bearing g for the crank-shaft, and at its opposite end the rod is bent and pivotally engaged with the nger-beam by an eyebolt or bearing-lug, Q. This j ointed connection ofthe controllingrod with the linger-beam is at a point close to that where the pivotal connection f is made between the brace-rod ,E and the finger-beam; and, as shown, the controlling-rod is so j ointed to the main frame as to vibrate very nearly about the same center as that about which the crank-wheel R rotates to operate the pitman S for actuating the cutters.

In operation, when the nger-beam is raised the thrust of the controlling-rod causes it to slide outward along the rod J, and when the finger-beam is lowered the pull of the controlling-rod draws it inward along the rod J. In adjusting the finger-beam, the distance it is moved outward or inward, orl away from or toward the heel-post G, is the same, or practically the same, as the distance the outer end of the pitman moves away from or toward the heel-post at the'same time, the relation of the controlling-rod to the pitman being such that this rod is parallel, or substantially parallel, to the pitman when its crank is on the deadcenter. In this way it will be seen that the cutters and guards are maintained in proper working condition throughout the'adj ustments of the nger-beam. Ihe sliding movement of the nger-beam toward and away from the frame, caused by the controlling-rodO, coinpensates for variations in the distance between the finger-beam and the point of pivotal connection between the brace-rod E and the tongue, and thus undue straining or cramping of this brace is avoided, and the fingerbeam, in whatever position it may be adj usted, will be maintained parallel to the p0- sition from which it was moved up or downthat is to say, the front edge of the ngerbeam, from end to end, is in the same, or practically the same, vertical plane in all positions of vertical adjustment,instead of the outer end of the beam being thrust backward or pulled forward relatively to its heel end, as it would be by the action of the brace E upon raising and lowering the beam were not compensation made for variations in the distance between the tongue and beam necessarily re- .2 i v I 296,231

sulting from the directly vertical movement of the beam in its adjustments. Now, it will be seen that as the beam is raised, and thereby brought nearer the tongue, the simulta- 1 neous outward movement of the beam maintains unaltered the distance between the points of pivotal connection between the brace-rod E and the linger-beam and tongue, respectively. Likewise. when the beam is lowered, and its distance from the tongue increased, the simultaneous inward movement of the beam keeps the pivots e and f of the tongue and beam the same distance apart as before without inclining the beam by pulling forward its outer end.

It will be seen that by the employment of means for connecting the iinger-beam with the main frame in such manner that the beam has both the vertically and the horizontally sliding connection with the frame, I avoid the necessity of moving the Enger-beam and its attachments bodily backward and forward, as has heretofore commonly been done, by the employment of inclined heel-posts or curved guideways, for adj ustably connecting the beam and frame.

I do not broadly claim vertically-adjusting the nger-beam of a harvester while avoiding inclining it by moving its outer end backward or forward relatively to its heel end, as I am aware that devices for thispurpose have heretofore been devised. Neither do I wish to be understood as confining my claims strictly to details of construction and precise arrangement of parts, as hereinbefore specifically described.

I claim as of my own invention- 1.` 'Ihe combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the main frame, the adjustable nger-beam, and means by which the beam has vertically and horizontally sliding connection at its heel with the frame, for the purpose described.

2. The combination, substantially as here- IOO inbefore set forth, of the main frame, the stiff 1 1o tongue, the finger-beam having thevertically and horizontally sliding connection with the frame, and the brace-rod having pivotal con-- nection with the tongue and beam, for the purpose described.

3. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the main frame, the iinger-beam having the vertically and horizontally sliding connection with theframe, and the controlling-rod having j ointed connection with the frame and beam, for the purpose described.

4;. The combination of the main frame provided with the bearings, the finger-beam, the supporting-bracket sliding in the frame-bearings, and with which the beam has sliding connection, and the controlling-rod having jointed connection with the frame and beam, substantially as and for the purpose hereinb'efore set forth.

5. 'Ihe combination, substantially as hereinbefore set' forth, of the main frame, the tongue, the supporting-bracket sliding in the frame-bearings, thel finger-beam having slid- In testimony whereof I have hereunto subzo scribed my'name this 29th day of August, A. D. 1883. v

JAMES R. SEVERANGE.

Vtnesses:

R. P. BUGKLAND, H. S. BUCKLAND. 

